


and now, the weather

by nonamebut



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Attempt at angst, Gen, Magic, Miscommunication, Open Ending, Unreliable Narrator, ft renjun and gowon, prerelationship markhyuck
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-06
Updated: 2019-10-06
Packaged: 2020-11-26 02:08:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,550
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20922407
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nonamebut/pseuds/nonamebut
Summary: Mark and Donghyuck fight during the summer.





	and now, the weather

**Author's Note:**

> A faint clap of thunder,  
Clouded skies,  
Perhaps rain will come.  
If so, will you stay here with me?

It's a bit silly, isn't it? For someone with a sun affinity to love the rain. If Ten ever caught wind of it—of this moment in time, of miraculous rain in the middle of August, then he would never let Donghyuck forget it.

But maybe it really isn't that silly, after all; just think about it. The reality is that it's not exactly the rain that Donghyuck so secretly loves.

"Are you coming or what?" Standing tall at the exit of their school, Mark points in Donghyuck's general direction with his reliable red umbrella.

Donghyuck sticks his tongue out at Mark, waving his hands at the last of the lamplights, until the hallway is fully covered in darkness. "You're so..."

He doesn't bother finishing the sentence, because all of a sudden he feels Mark's energy crumple a little, a paper balling up in Donghyuck's figurative fist of unnecessary snark.

A flash of lightning briefly illuminates the side of Mark's face, but Donghyuck doesn't even need to look to know that Mark is rolling his eyes. He can hear it in Mark's voice, in his _ It's my umbrella, so you really can't say anything, you know? _

Ah. Donghyuck tries not to trip as he rushes to the exit, towards Mark. He tries not to think of how he's been skipping out on some of his duties, neglecting to pray at the academy park shrine for clearer skies and a normal summer.

"I know." He lifts a hand to playfully swat at his best friend's shoulder but stops short when the invisible paper refuses to unfold, to uncrease. Instead, he attempts to soothe with a rare admission.

"Thank you for waiting for me, today." _ For the day before, and the one before that. For always. _

It's easy to forget that they're fighting when Mark never forgets to be kind during moments like this.

Mark sighs, a quiet sound that would ordinarily be lost to the rain. Being the worst combination of unordinarily obsessed and observant, Donghyuck remembers how Mark has always folded away all his complaints, transforming his ribs into a cage for all his origami stress.

"You don't need to thank me," Mark says as he offers Donghyuck his arm. "Not for this, you know?"

Well—Donghyuck doesn't get what he means by that, but his concentration is shot by a loud boom of thunder. "Okayokayokay hyung let's go?" If Donghyuck clings a little closer than he normally does, than he normally dares to, Mark doesn't say anything about it.

—

The one who _ does _ say anything about it is, very predictably, Huang Renjun.

"Care to tell me why you're making it rain for literal weeks?" Renjun is normally quite intimidating despite his tiny stature, but Renjun in his element? Now that's a next level scare.

Knowing that he's got some pretty sharp scissors in his hands only adds to the effect.

"You're the only one who can get the sun to respond to your prayers, so everyone knows it's you when it starts pouring well into the summer months," says Renjun as he kicks an easel in front of the club room exit. "Nothing's wrong with you then, huh?"

Leave it to Huang Renjun to make a well meaning inquiry sound like a threat. Donghyuck can't help but laugh, mustering the courage to even mess with Renjun a little. "You're not gonna like it, Junnie."

"Huh?!"

Donghyuck laughs again, his lips twisting in an awkward smile.

"I'm just being dramatic, don't worry about it." ("God, you're not Jaemin or Mark. Pull a Leo and I will really kill you.") "It's just..."

He takes a deep breath of turpentine and wet clay. Might as well give away a little bit of the truth. "As selfish as it sounds... Mark and I barely have any time to hang out lately. You know, with how he's meant to leave soon? He's been really busy with preparations and stuff..."

Renjun considers his response for quite a while. Donghyuck hopes that what he has to say isn't too painful; he's the only one Donghyuck trusts enough to tell this stuff to, so this would be the only opportunity he'll ever have when it comes to asking for advice.

Even though, technically, he wasn't really asking for advice in the first place.

"You know," Renjun finally starts, careful and quiet. His voice is gentle, much like the way he holds the sharp object in his hands, refusing to set it down as if to just get a point across.

Donghyuck knows Renjun means well, with how he's probably thought real hard about what he wants to say, but this is the exact kind of thing that drives Donghyuck crazy.

It's frustrating, how people always want to have a say, to have a very strongly worded opinion on what's been brewing between Mark and Donghyuck. Even when it comes from Renjun, one of his most treasured friends.

After all, this is the very reason why Mark and Donghyuck are—well. Why they are the way they are.

"You know," Renjun repeats, surer of himself this time. He must notice how Donghyuck stares at the scissors, because he sets it down on a nearby table. "You know, Mark actually told us he'd confess to you once and for all. Said he'd do it on the evening of a clear summer day, of a day without rain."

If Donghyuck snaps back, all fiery and impatient, then it would only confirm what everyone wants to—seems to—believe. "Did he now?"

"Yeah." Renjun blinks, surprised at how well Donghyuck takes the information. "At the time, we all thought it was a pretty fair thing to say, really, since at the time it was hot and sweltering and we were so so sure it wasn't going to rain at all."

"But then it rained," says Donghyuck. _ Because I made it rain. _

Think about it.

The reality is that it's not actually about the rain.

Truthfully? It's always been about appearances, about obligations. Unspoken promises.

When everyone looks at Donghyuck, they see a needy junior clinging to what he can, to the best friend he's been pining over for years and years. Hanging all over Mark before he leaves him behind and moves on to better opportunities. They see unnecessary snark, sharp scissors held aloft, unforgiving and cruel—they imagine Mark folding into himself, creasing and crumpling.

Donghyuck has always hated that. How in their eyes Mark is suddenly a boy without agency, someone who bends at a single touch. That cannot be how they see him, can it?

Because maybe Donghyuck is a blade, drawing blood with every contact. Maybe he truly is what they say—a self righteous brat who's only known money and power and everything his family name lends him.

But Mark isn't a pushover. Mark is the strongest person he knows. If they even tried to get to know him, then they'd know that Mark could bite back, could always match even with a fire that rivaled Donghyuck's own.

And Donghyuck—Donghyuck was the literal sun. Now isn't that saying something?

"Aren't you going to say something?" Renjun breaks the silence, his aura spiking nervously as the school bell rings, signifying the end of club, and therefore class, hours.

"What do you want me to say?"

Renjun frowns and starts rambling. Something about giving Mark a chance—Donghyuck almost scoffs at this, _ give _ him a chance?—and sneaking in a quick prayer before he heads home so that tomorrow, before Mark leaves for good, what everyone has been waiting for with ever so baited breath can finally happen.

The rambling doesn't really make it to Donghyuck's ears. All Donghyuck hears is a faded memory of something he almost wishes he never heard... because the reason why he wasn't surprised by Renjun's story was that he eavesdropped on that very conversation, all those weeks ago.

He remembers almost walking into the student council club room, eager to walk home with Mark before the sun set. He remembers Jaemin accusing Mark of taking too long, and Jeno taking his side as always.

And the most annoying thing about that memory is that Mark allowed all the teasing and said, as if it was the only thing that would make him consider the prospect at all: _ I will tell him, but only if it doesn't rain. _

But only if? At the time, it made sense to Donghyuck. It made sense to forgo the prayers and practice, if only to see if Mark had really meant it. Mark, who was always sure of himself, who always acted with purpose.

Now, Donghyuck's just kind of bitter.

And to make it all come full circle—

"Hey, I heard my name. What are you guys talking about?"

"We were just gossiping about you," Donghyuck says in the most obnoxious, nasally voice he can muster. He's done it so many times in the past that even when, this time, he isn't lying... Mark just assumes he must be clowning around.

They bid Renjun an awkward farewell and make their way to the school exit. Like clockwork, Donghyuck falls into step with his long time best friend. The weird atmosphere eventually lets up when Donghyuck manages to make Mark smile with some random, dumb joke.

As they make their way home, they pass by the old sun shrine, now drenched in water and temporarily out of service.

Because Mark has always been the more traditional, superstitious one, he twirls his umbrella over their heads, the rain droplets gathered on its surface splattering away from them. He pulls Donghyuck closer to him to make sure he doesn't get wet, his hand warm on the small of Donghyuck's back.

When the shrine is no longer within their line of sight, he twirls the red umbrella again, this time in the opposite direction.

"Make a wish, Donghyuck," says Mark, a small smile on his face. He's no doubt reminiscing all those times the two of them have done this before, when they were still young and dumb and desperate for someone, anyone, to humor whatever they wanted to say.

Silently, selfishly, Donghyuck wishes that Mark would let himself choose for once. To ignore all the outside whispers and to just did whatever he wants to, no matter how impulsive or rash that decision would be.

Donghyuck hopes he never mumbled any of that aloud by accident, because then Mark starts giggling. He teases, "I bet you wished on something really useless."

Has Mark always been like this? Since when did his arm wrap around Donghyuck's waist, the way it's curling around right now? The way his palm burns at his side, making Donghyuck feel warm, warm, warm?

"I guess I really did."

—

The day before Mark leaves for his big internship, it rains nonstop.

It's still pouring heavily by the time the dance club meets up after class. Thunder only fades to background music as Renjun stares daggers at Donghyuck from across the room.

Chaewon, who has been trying to talk to Donghyuck about that drama they're watching together, gets so spooked by it that Donghyuck meets Renjun's gaze head on. Serious and over it, he mouths a simple, _ oops _.

Thankfully, Renjun backs down with a scowl.

It buys Donghyuck a little more time to talk mundane things with Chaewon, who is indulgent and perhaps a little too perceptive of his stormy mood than he gives her credit for.

But as the school day draws to a close, he can no longer avoid what he's simultaneously dreading and anticipating.

"Hey, Donghyuck." Hyunjin from track pops her head into the room, her eyes crinkling mischievously. Out in the hall, the familiar voice of one of the student reps attempts to scold her for loitering but Hyunjin ignores it in favor of giving Donghyuck her most wicked grin.

"Someone's here for you."

"Wow. More like, someone's here to fetch you!" Chaewon giggles as if she doesn't wait for Hyejoo's practice to end just to walk the junior home. "That's pretty gay, Hyuckie."

Donghyuck huffs and quickly throws his things into his bag, walking out the door and being greeted by the sight of a very, very familiar red umbrella.

"Hey weather boy." Mark laughs the way he does when he thinks he's made a particularly clever joke. "Ready to go home?"

Donghyuck doesn't know why Mark is still here, really. He was supposed to be gone literal hours ago. The younger boy is pretty sure that the school dismissed Mark early in a show of some kind of final good will.

"I guess." He clutches tightly at the straps of his backpack. "Don't you have work later?"

Mark winces. "Yeah. I really can't skip out when it rains, but I can always make time to walk you back."

Stupid Mark and his stupid moral compass. There are times that Donghyuck wishes he would get angry. Fall sick. Act human.

"This—" here, Donghyuck gestures vaguely between them— "isn't an obligation, you know? You don't have to do this for me at all."

They open the school doors together. The sky has gotten even darker than Donghyuck predicted it to be.

Mark is still stubborn. "I already told you... I'm not doing this for your thanks. Um, or for—for good karma. I just want to do this for you. Is it that hard to believe?"

It is, but Donghyuck doesn't want to say it.

Donghyuck doesn't want to say many things. The first thing in that long, long list goes a little something like this: _ Lately, everything you do is a reaction to the world around you. To the expectations people have of you. _

And Donghyuck—Donghyuck has always hoped that he could be more. That to Mark, he meant something different.

Donghyuck doesn't want to be like Mark's parents, or the kids that whisper in the hallways. He wants to reach into Mark's chest and set fire to the invisible cranes that lie trapped in his ribcage.

Mark stops suddenly, right in the middle of the road, making Donghyuck bump into him.

"Why can't you just tell me what's on your mind? You've been—you've been so weird ever since I told you I was transferring to the inner city."

It's so tempting to just run out in the rain. He'd rather get soaked and sick than admit that he's going to miss Mark. He shivers. "Take a good guess."

"I'm not a mind reader, Donghyuck," says Mark, sounding so tired. So defenseless. "I mean, I know what you're doing. The gist of it. You're trying to, to get my attention."

There it is again—the folding, the creasing. Donghyuck never gets it right.

"Why are you making it rain so much? Is this your way of getting back at me, because I didn't get your... _ permission _ to take an opportunity?"

"... what?"

"Forget it." Mark pushes Donghyuck forward, starts walking again.

—

There's an awkward stillness as the two boys stand in front of Donghyuck's house. Both of them clearly want to say something but no one wants to go first.

It's only when Donghyuck starts to reach for his keys that Mark speaks up.

He has to lean in real close to be heard over the rain. "My parents are working tonight. Could I sleep over, after work?"

"Okay."

Donghyuck hesitates and Mark sees it for what it is. "Wanna hang out before I leave for work?"

And so that is how their evening goes: a temporary truce that only barely holds for reasons they're both too nervous to bring up.

At least, Mark is until they finally cozy up to each other on the living room couch, settling down for one last movie marathon.

"... You're acting like we're never going to see each other again." A scoff. "As if. This stupid argument isn't going to disappear when I leave tomorrow."

Mark inches even closer.

Despite not moving away, Donghyuck still hates the closeness. He just doesn't know how to interpret it—Mark is just, so confusing.

Why does he keep waiting for Donghyuck when he's clearly got better things to do? Why does he keep reaching out for Donghyuck's hands whenever they meet along the school hallways? Why does he still put on a smile even though Donghyuck _ knows _ for a fact that he hasn't had a proper good night's sleep in literal years?

Mark's got big boy problems while Donghyuck's going to be left here, in this quiet town, a pitiful Peter Pan mulling over old memories and moments.

Clearly, Mark has long since—long since outgrown him. It hurts too much to bear, but it is what it is and Donghyuck needs to learn how to let go and stop fooling himself whenever Mark's just trying to be a good friend.

In moments of weakness, Donghyuck recalls Mark telling him they don't have time to be together. The way he took a look at Donghyuck, nervous and shaking, hands clasped.

Mark isn't the sun. No one, not even Donghyuck, can make him do anything.

Don't forget. The way Donghyuck nodded his head awkwardly, gave a weak punch to his best friend's shoulder, and pretended that he had never confessed in the first place.

Then Donghyuck feels Mark take a breath. He struggles to remember.

"I don't think I've ever told you this before... but I'm sorry you weren't the first one I told. About the internship, I mean." This is the first time Mark has ever shown such rapt interest for Donghyuck's dumb Netflix movies. "I think I was just afraid to know your thoughts on it. It's like... I was going to do it anyway? I don't know what I was thinking..."

Donghyuck presses a warm shoulder into Mark's side. Relaxes his fist; maybe there will be no more unnecessary snark tonight. "I'm not mad about that. You know I'm always going to support you, right?"

"Then why are you mad?" Mark sighs. It must take a big shot to his pride to say this and it breaks Donghyuck's heart harder than that time Mark told him he didn't want to be his boyfriend. "I don't want to fight you anymore."

"You're so confusing. Always saying things and doing the opposite of them."

"... what?"

"Forget it." But Donghyuck doesn't.

A few minutes pass and Donghyuck thinks they're going to let the movie play without anymore interjections. Of course, Mark always proves him wrong.

"Jaemin kept telling me to tell you, you know." Donghyuck swallows nervously but if Mark notices then he doesn't say anything.

"I was really supposed to tell you... but it rained that day. Professor Minseok got there before me and told you first, instead."

"Huh?"

Mark looks at Donghyuck weirdly. "The internship..."

He laughs and adds, "what did you think I was talking about?"

"The internship," Donghyuck lies. "But that's—that's not the point. You're still so confusing."

Mark laughs some more. He still laughs like Donghyuck's the funniest boy in the world. "If you say so, I guess. If there's anything else you can always just... I don't know... ask..."

"Maybe some other day." It's the first time Donghyuck acts like they aren't running out of time and Mark definitely notices. "I'm tired. Let me be angry at you for one more night."

And so the movie ends and Mark tucks him in bed the way he did when they were still kids—still _ are _ kids. Donghyuck lies awake, feeling warm everywhere Mark had touched him even long after the other boy had left.

Later that night, when Donghyuck dreams, he prays for better skies.

—

Even without the promise of rain, Mark still leaves.

"Donghyuck," he says, stopping by Donghyuck's house before the government officials drive him off into the city. "I'll call you when I'm all settled. Just because I'm all the way over there doesn't mean we aren't done talking about this."

"I know." Donghyuck's voice is quiet, but sincere. "I know that, now."

There are many things they still need to sort out—individually and as a pair. But Donghyuck thinks he understands better now.

The sky is clear now. The first time in weeks.

"I'll be back, Donghyuck." Mark cradles his name so carefully. "I'm going to become... There's still so much I need to do. I know you've got stuff too."

Donghyuck can hear it, unfurling: _ But if you wait for me—I still. I'm waiting for you. _

It's a bit silly. Is it not? How Donghyuck prayed for rain when he could have spent the last of their teenage days in the sun.

"Don't worry, hyung," says Donghyuck, playful and just a bit shy. "I'll be with you every step of the way. Even if it's just in spirit."

There it is—what Donghyuck not so secretly loves. Mark, you silly boy.

Maybe later, after he calls Chaewon over to cry over dumb Netflix movies together, he'll feel sadder about it all. Maybe once Mark turns around and heads for the great inner city, Donghyuck will spiral once again.

But then Donghyuck's eyes catch on Mark's reliable red umbrella, and Donghyuck takes great care—to remember.

Mark smiles. Donghyuck's fingers uncurl from its fist, and the world keeps spinning. For now, miraculously, the sun keeps shining.

x

**Author's Note:**

> A faint clap of thunder,  
Even if rain comes or not,  
I will stay here,  
Together with you.
> 
> wow if u actually made it here thank u for reading.. i love u i hope u had a great weekend!! i also don't know if this should be tagged with the mh relationship tag haha pls let me know if it should be the platonic/romantic one ;u;
> 
> tbh i struggled a lot writing this but i hope that posting it can relieve the weird feeling i get whenever i scroll past this on my drive haha


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